PennsylvaniaCommunity Schools:Catch the Vision

2 Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision

True community schools—those that serve as hubs for ex-

panded opportunities and services and are built on

partnerships focused on improving outcomes for children

and their families—operate quite differently from traditional

schools. Not only do many stay open for extended hours, but

they also have a welcoming, team-oriented environment.

Community schools pull together the resources of the school

and community to enhance children’s lives, remove the

barriers that keep students from being academically

successful and engage parents to support their children’s

school performance. Community schools adopt the view

that a strong instructional environment—combined with

engaging enrichment programs and opportunities to access

health and social services to improve student learning—

builds stronger families and neighborhoods.

Educators in traditional schools and community leaders

need to see the community school model in action so they

can visualize what it would look like in their district. Straight-

forward discussions with those who have transformed their

schools into sites offering multiple opportunities for students

and families are also necessary. Leaders who are making

it work can answer important questions about why creating

community schools is a strategy for keeping students

engaged in school and overcoming social, health or

academic challenges.

The Pennsylvania Community Schools Summit held June 10,

2009 in the state’s Lehigh Valley, provided an opportunity

for this kind of discussion and action planning. Sponsored by

the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Center for

Schools and Communities in Pennsylvania, and the Washing-

ton-based Coalition for Community Schools, the one-day

event drew representatives from United Ways, school

districts, non-profit groups, youth development organizations

and others.

Introduction 2

Community Schools in the Lehigh Valley 4

The Role of the United Way 5

Nuts and Bolts 5

A Community College Partner 6

Community Schools Partnerships for 7 Education

Sayre High School 7

South Mountain Middle School 7

Calypso Elementary School 7

Moving Forward in Lancaster 8

Leadership is Key 9

Challenges 9

Making it All Come Together 10

Author/Acknowledgements 11

2010 National Forum 11

IntroductionContents

Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaEdward G. Rendell, Governor

Department of EducationDr. Gerald L. Zahorchak, Secretary

Office of Elementary and Secondary EducationDiane Castelbuono, Deputy Secretary

Bureau of Community and Student ServicesMary I. Ramirez, Director

Division of Student Services and Migrant EducationCarmen M. Medina, Chief

Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision 3

Addressing the participants, Pennsylvania Education

Secretary Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak talked about his goals for

ensuring that “children are in cultures that are socially and

emotionally well from day one.”

“It takes everyone in a community. Every shoulder is

necessary and it begins, we think, with great leadership,”

he said.

“Leadership rests not just with a school superintendent or a

school principal. A community school is a place in which the

responsibility for helping children reach their potential is

shared. Leadership at every level is important,” Zahorchak

added.

The involvement of Pennsylvania’s Department of Education

in the community schools initiative began in 2003 as part of

Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s education agenda, explained Mary

Ramirez, the director of Community and Student Services

for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. “Community

schools are a true strategy for success,” she said at

the event.

The day’s sessions focused on the work of The United Way

of the Greater Lehigh Valley, located in the northeastern

corner of Pennsylvania. With reducing the high school

dropout rate as one of its primary goals, the United Way has

embraced community schools as a way to accomplish

that goal.

“It’s really important to us as an organization and as a

community that our kids succeed in school,” said

Susan Gilmore, the president of The United Way of the

Greater Lehigh Valley.

The community schools concept is strongly supported by

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who oversaw the

creation of 150 community schools throughout Chicago while

he served as the city’s school superintendent. That commit-

ment is demonstrated by the inclusion of community schools

as an authorized use of Title I funds in new federal guidelines

regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

(ARRA). For example, Title I ARRA funds can be used to hire

a community school coordinator, coordinate health, social

and nutrition services, provide professional development on

meeting students’ comprehensive needs or pay teachers to

offer after-school learning opportunities.

Interviewed recently by television journalist Charlie Rose,

Secretary Duncan reiterated his belief in why schools should

be “the centers of community.”

“When a school becomes a center of community life, great

things are going to happen to those families and great things

are going to happen for those children,” Duncan said,

listing drama, sports, art, debate, health clinics, GED classes

and programs for parents as some of the activities that

partnerships with other organizations can bring to life within

the school building.

“Those buildings don’t belong to you or me. They don’t

belong to the unions, they belong to the community. We have

these great physical resources and we need to maximize

them,” Duncan added.

In recent decades, educators have worked to strengthen

the aspects of schooling that are part of their domain—the

quality of teaching and leadership, curriculum and

accountability systems. Research by David C. Berliner, an

education professor at Arizona State University, points

to out-of-school factors that also play a large part in how

successful children are in school: low birth weight, poor

health care, hunger and family stress can seriously hinder a

child’s learning experience.

As Dr. Zahorchak and Secretary Duncan suggest, multiple

partners are needed to achieve this vision.

“We make the incorrect assumption that our schools can do

all of this on their own,” says Martin Blank, the director of the

Coalition for Community Schools and the president of the

Institute for Educational Leadership. The expertise lies in our

neighborhoods, lies in our families, lies in our community-

based organizations, our institutes of higher education. The

question is, can we bring that into alignment?”

4 Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision

The Pennsylvania Lehigh Valley is made up of urban and

rural areas between Philadelphia and New York City. The

superintendents of three school districts in the Lehigh

Valley—Allentown, with 18,000 students, the Bethlehem Area

school district with approximately15,000 students and the

3,600-student Bangor Area school district—have bought into

Secretary Duncan’s vision and are implementing the same

types of programs in their districts.

Working with 11 schools in three school districts, the United

Way’s Community Partners for Student Success (COMPASS)

initiative has brought together a diverse mix of organizations

that have dedicated themselves to the mission of using

schools as places to address the critical needs of students

and their families. COMPASS began in 2005 and currently

involves 11 of the 42 schools in the Lehigh Valley that have

been identified as having the highest need in terms of

poverty and academic performance.

The five lead partners involved in the effort are the Boys and

Girls Clubs of Allentown; Communities in Schools of the

Lehigh Valley; Northampton Community College; the Center

for Humanistic Change and the Slater Family Network, a

family center that offers afterschool programs, adult

education, food and clothing assistance and other services.

These lead partners employ and supervise Community

School Directors, bring their own expertise and services to

the site and leverage additional resources through other

partnerships.

During one session at the Summit, superintendents of the

three districts spoke about their commitment to the commu-

nity schools approach.

“I believe that the community school effort can link us into

successfully developing assets within our kids,” said John

Reinhart, superintendent of the Bangor Area school system,

a rural community with a district-wide community schools

effort that is part of COMPASS.

Because his district is not wealthy, in terms of funding or

large corporations, he has looked to community schools as

a cost-effective way to bring additional services and

programs into the school building.

“Our schools can’t offer all things to all people. We have to

look to the community,” Reinhart said. “I think community

schools can offer real leveraging power…it’s a better way to

handle the issues we face.”

Dr. Karen S. Angello, the superintendent of the Allentown

School District, believes community schools match the

needs of students with the resources available in the

community. “We have benevolence in the Lehigh Valley;

benevolence of heart, benevolence of skills, benevolence of

funding,” she said. “So why are we doing this? Because

we have the ingredients. Community schools are all about

aligning resources…to benefit our children and their

families.”

Two elementary schools and one middle school in Allentown

are part of the COMPASS project. In the Bethlehem Area

district, three elementary schools are involved in COMPASS

and a middle school is expected to become part of the

initiative soon.

Dr. Joseph A. Lewis, Bethlehem’s superintendent, used a

story to illustrate how the bridges built between partners

involved in community schools can have a meaningful effect.

An elementary school parent required a translator for teacher

conferences and because of the school’s partnership

with Northampton Community College, the mother was given

access to English as a Second Language classes and

is now far more capable of communicating with her child’s

teachers.

“That’s a simple success story, but that connection doesn’t

take place unless a coordinator recognizes a need, unless a

college is willing to provide a service,” Lewis said.

Community Schools inthe Lehigh Valley

Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision 5

The community schools initiative in the Lehigh Valley would

not be as successful without the involvement of the United

Way and its long-range goal of reducing the dropout rate by

half. The organization worked to bring together the right

partners to realize that goal.

“We’re really good at being part of a community table and a

community conversation,” Gilmore said. “We’re looking at

outcomes and we’re constantly seeking the very best ways

to do our work.”

As more United Way organizations across the country move

to a “Community Impact” model (linking investments with

community goals), many United Ways convene multiple

stakeholders such as community leaders, business partners,

donors and institutions of higher education around a

“community table” to generate solutions to the region’s most

pressing issues such as the high school dropout rate.

Of the more than $3 million the Lehigh Valley United Way

has committed to early childhood programs and other

education initiatives, about $300,000 has been dedicated to

the community schools effort. These funds, combined

with those provided by the school districts, lead partners and

various public and private revenue sources, cover the

community school coordinators’ salaries as well as programs

at the schools and ongoing support.

“But spending money and matching a community-based

organization with a high-need school is just the beginning,”

added Marci Ronald, who directs the COMPASS effort

for the United Way. “Our role is as the intermediary. We’re

providing not just the funding, but also the training

and technical support that’s necessary to get it done.”

As Ms. Gilmore mentioned, having outcomes in mind is

important for any endeavor. Identifying outcomes is the first

topic that Ms. Ronald includes as part of a “nuts and bolts”

framework for developing community schools.

-Identifying the right outcomes. Partners should involve the

district, parents and school leaders in examining data

and determining their goals for students, families and the

neighborhood. Goals should be integrated with the school’s

strategic plan. Expanded learning opportunities should

build on the goals of the curriculum. The school and its

community partners should also agree on how results will

be measured.

-Building the right knowledge base. Take a look at the

existing assets and resources within the community. Learn

from other community schools and experts by going

on site visits and participating in conferences and

webinars. Community agencies should become familiar with

the “language” and priorities of education, while educators

should work to understand what community-based organiza-

tions can offer and how they operate.

-Identifying the right structure. Partners need to decide the

elements that will work best for their community, but key

aspects of community schools include extended hours and

expanded services. Clear roles and expectations need to

be articulated for each partner involved. Formal agreements

and contracts covering issues such as access to student

data and facility-use should be signed. Leaders need to

decide on the skills they are looking for in a community

school coordinator. Qualities might include having education

experience, being a good communicator or being bilingual.

(continued on page 6)

The Role of theUnited Way

Nuts and Bolts

6 Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision

-Building the right energy and support. Keys to sustaining a

community school effort include having “transparent

relationships” with all of the partners involved and knowing

specifically how the money raised should be spent. Leaders

should also develop compelling messages about how

community schools are truly improving students’ lives to

share with a variety of constituent groups. Finally, leaders

should offer plenty of opportunities for people to stay

involved in the work of the community school.

-Knowing what you want to buy and how you’re going to

pay for it. Financing community schools is challenging, but

clearly prioritizing which element is the most important (for

COMPASS the focus is on coordination) and making a strong

case for that piece of the work can help. COMPASS’ lead

investor is the United Way, but the partnership has long

received support from the Department of Human Services

from two counties, corporate foundations and business

partners and grants. Many schools creatively utilize Title I

funds, state accountability block grants and Safe Schools/

Healthy Students funds for parent engagement, family

support and outreach.

“The essence of what we’re trying to create here is to

harness the power of the community, and to put it into a

framework that works for schools,” Ronald told the

participants.

The mission of a community school is to bring resources

and services into the school building to enrich children’s lives

and prepare them to be successful beyond high school.

Partnerships should also benefit everyone involved, as Art

Scott, president of Northampton Community College

explained.

“If we have an educated populace, the quality of life in our

region improves, economic development is enhanced,

and that’s what we are concerned about,” Scott said. “So, it

fits perfectly for us. We also know that we’ll be able to

provide better collegiate-level instruction if we understand

better the families that we serve.”

He added that when postsecondary institutions become

partners in the community school effort, it can “de-mystify

the notion of going to college.”

“If our faculty and staff are there with the families and the

young students, college is no longer unattainable,” Scott

said. “It’s attainable because we talked to them about that

right from the start.”

Community colleges are not typical partners of community

schools; Scott added that he sees a lot of similarity between

the work of community colleges and the goals of community

schools. “We talk a lot about blurring the lines between

the community and the college,” he said. “So we want our

buildings to be open 24-7. We want community groups to use

our facilities.”

As part of the COMPASS initiative, Northampton Community

College is the lead partner at Fountain Hill Elementary

School in the Bethlehem Area district. In this role, the college

provides adult education opportunities, hosts events for

Fountain Hill families on its campus and helps to coordinate

21st Century Learning Center activities. College students

also provide mentoring to students. Recognizing that

transportation is a challenge for many families, the college

has even used its van to transport parents to teacher

conferences.

“They’ve worked out a beautiful relationship,” Ronald says.

A CommunityCollege Partner

Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision 7

Sayre High School The University of Pennsylvania’s Netter Center for Community

Partnerships is the lead partner at Sayre High School, a

650-student, high-poverty school. Seven staff members from

the center work at Sayre and have developed a comprehen-

sive approach to preparing students for success after

high school.

“We’re moving towards this model where learning is at

the core, and the connection to learning is at the core of

everything we do,” said Tyler Holmberg, director of the

Sayre-Penn Partnership Health Promotion and Disease

Prevention Program.

Because of this partnership between the school and the

center, Sayre students have access to a wide range of

academic and enrichment opportunities. Through the Netter

Center’s College Access and Career Readiness program,

students receive four years of career and college develop-

ment. Paid internships give them real-world experience

in local businesses, in their school, on the Penn campus or

within the University Health System. In a summer institute,

rising seniors are paired with Penn undergraduates who

serve as mentors to the students as they begin their college

application process.

The Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, also a Netter Center

program, provides nutrition education, a school garden,

access to healthy food and other efforts to improve health

outcomes for Sayre students and others in the community.

The partnership between the center and the university also

led to the establishment of the Sayre Health Center, which

opened in 2007. Students and members of the community

can receive both clinical and health education services.

Students interested in the health field also get the chance to

work with Penn doctors.

For the university, the work at Sayre has involved “academi-

cally-based community service” courses for hundreds of

college students and faculty members. College students and

professors perform community service at Sayre while also

conducting research and practicing in their field.

This intense focus on preparing high school students for

college, combined with giving students responsibility and

encouraging healthier lifestyles has resulted in measurable

success for the school. In 2007, Sayre was one of only five

neighborhood high schools in Philadelphia to make Ad-

equate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Ninety percent of the school’s first senior class graduated

in 2007 and over half enrolled in postsecondary education.

More than $50,000 in college scholarships was secured.

South Mountain Middle School In January 2008, South Mountain Middle School in Allentown

became the first urban middle school to become part of the

COMPASS community schools initiative. With Communities in

Schools of the Lehigh Valley as the school’s lead partner,

the school has seen “an explosion of parent involvement,”

Ronald said. An extensive list of innovative afterschool

programs has been added, including hip hop dance, hand

drumming, theater arts, a science center and a gardening

club project.

Once a year, a “Family Fun Night” is held, reinforcing

the message that parents should be involved. In this large

middle school of about 1,200 students, over 300 families

participated in this new annual tradition. The school also

houses a special education center, which gives students

with disabilities access to afterschool classes and other

enrichment programs. In addition, the school has started

a “Bring-Your- Parent-to-School Day” to keep parents

plugged in to what their middle school children are learning.

“We’ve had to put a lot of emphasis on after-school tutoring,

but we know that can’t be the only thing,” Angello said.

Calypso Elementary SchoolA small, 300-student neighborhood school in Bethlehem,

Calypso already has a close-knit environment. But with

Communities In Schools of the Lehigh Valley as its lead

community school partner, that feeling is being enhanced.

(continued on page 8)

Community Schools Partnerships in Education

8 Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision

For example, grade level potluck dinners are held to bring

families together. In connection with the Boys and Girls

Clubs of Allentown, the school features a “Make Your MARK”

literacy and math program. A wide range of afterschool

programs are available and students have been involved in

an innovative “mural in the park” project that involves several

community organizations. The school also participates

in the No Place for Hate campaign, sponsored by the Anti-

Defamation League.

Students in need of medical and dental care have access

to services through a collaborative program with the St.

Luke’s Bethlehem Partnership for Healthy Communities and

the school district. In addition, a positive behavior

support program at the school has resulted in improved

discipline there.

The 11,400-student Lancaster school district is another

strong example of a community school initiative in Pennsyl-

vania. In 2005, with a federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students

grant, the district implemented a community school model at

Washington Elementary and Lincoln Middle School. Each

school has had a full-time community school coordinator

hired by a lead agency—Pressley Ridge at Washington and

the Community Action Program at Lincoln. Some of the

initiatives developed during the pilot phase included a health

clinic at Washington, a doctor who screens kindergarteners

for vision issues, visits by a dental van, mental health

services at both schools and evening classes for parents.

A third school, King Elementary, is expected to begin

operating as a community school soon as well. In fact, the

goal of turning all district schools into community schools

has been written into the district’s strategic plan, which

extends through 2013.

“Our community is ready to move on this and our district

leadership is ready to expand,” said Pamela Smith, the Safe

Schools/Healthy Students coordinator for the district. A

coordinator for full-service community schools has already

been hired at the district level, and Smith said she is

currently in the process of “grooming” community agencies

to become future lead partners for schools.

“Attending the June summit was especially helpful for some

of those agencies in Lancaster, such as the local Boys and

Girls Clubs, because it gave them a chance to hear about

the role of community partners from other superintendents

around the state,” Smith added.

State Education Secretary Zahorchak’s comments also

reinforced that the community school concept is embraced

at the state level.

“Initial results from the pilot effort at Washington Elementary

in Lancaster shows an increase in test scores, improvements

in attendance and genuine parent engagement,” Smith said.

“Kids are able to focus on learning.”

Moving Forwardin Lancaster

Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision 9

The presenters at the conference unanimously agreed that

support from superintendents is an important key to begin-

ning a community schools initiative. “Once they’ve ‘caught

the vision,’ it can spread to principals and community

partners,” noted Gilmore from the United Way.

Other presenters noted that having a committed principal is

also necessary. In fact, George White, the director of the

Educational Leadership program at Lehigh University, said

principals of community schools are demonstrating a new

level of leadership that goes beyond being a good manager

and instructional leader.

Effective leaders are those who are learning how “to cement

the relationships that exist between the school and other

partners,” White said.

The community school coordinator “also plays this role

of a ‘relationship manager and effective negotiator’ who can

guide different partners in delivering the services and

programs that are the best fit for the students in that school,”

Roland added.

Dr. Angello described it as “distributive leadership.”

“Now there are levels of authority,” Angello said about the

community schools in her district. “So you might go to an

event, and you would see one of those partners taking

charge of that event.”

“Teachers, not just school administrators, have a significant

role in the success of community school programs,” noted

White, who also leads the Center for Developing Urban

Educational Leaders. The center is working to train not only

principals, but also teachers, community members and

parents to be leaders in the schools.

The “heart and soul” of the university’s teacher-leader

program, White said, “is keeping good people in the class-

room, but also empowering them to lead.”

As mentioned, the community school model is a departure

from the way schools traditionally operate and for many

educators, community leaders and parents, this way of

thinking doesn’t come naturally.

“It’s about learning how to dance with a school differently,”

Ronald said.

Secretary Duncan alluded to this challenge in his comments

to Mr. Rose, saying that one factor that works against the

community schools concept is “a lack of creativity.”

“Our society has changed and our schools have not kept

pace,” Duncan said.

Another significant challenge is overcoming “turf issues,” the

speakers said, and creating the high level of trust that is

necessary for the kind of “distributive leadership” that

Dr. Angello described.

Successful leaders of community school projects are not

the ones who “think they’re going to solve the problems

of the school by themselves,” White said. But he added that

for principals, sharing leadership doesn’t mean giving up

responsibility for what takes place in the building.

“What it means is that they say, ‘I’m smart enough as a

leader to know that there are other people in this room who

can do this better, and can laser focus on what needs to

be done,’ ” White said. “The best principals that we work with

are the people who help identify, codify the problems and

then find the right people in the room who can help lead to

the solutions.”

(continued on page 10)

Challenges

Leadership is Key

10 Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision

Dr. Lewis noted that the best approach to handling situations

in which a volunteer or another partner might be feeling

left out or not recognized for their work is to have a face-to-

face dialogue and to talk about why someone might feel

uncomfortable. Through that process, perhaps they can

realize the goal is not to receive credit.

The superintendents also noted that, of course, some

principals are more reluctant than others to make this

change in their schools, in part because of the risks they

perceive. “In fairness to principals, having been one, when

things go wrong, that’s where the buck stops,” Lewis said.

That’s why leadership at the district level is important, they

suggested, because the district can create an expectation

that schools move in this direction. They can also point to

successful models so other principals can see how bringing

health, recreation, tutoring and other programs into the

school benefits students. Dr. Lewis commented that in his

district, the higher socioeconomic schools perhaps feel

“cheated” because they don’t receive funding that is

specifically targeted for lower-income schools. The princi-

pals, however, still share information and ideas, and Dr. Lewis

says he tries to find other resources for those schools.

Dr. White added that sometimes convincing principals that

community schools can lead to student success also

takes “good old grassroots organizing” by having parents

and community members advocate for these services.

A 2008-09 report card on the COMPASS initiative shows that

community schools are having an effect on student school

experiences. In the Bangor district, for example, the students

who participated in a science enrichment program ex-

pressed greater knowledge and appreciation for the subject

area. At Fountain Hill Elementary in the Bethlehem district,

3rd graders said they would give up recess in order to work

with their tutor. In Allentown, among the students at Roosevelt

Elementary who regularly attended the school’s Make Your

Mark Program, 63 percent increased their math scores at

least one grade level and 38 percent increased their reading

scores at least one grade level.

Among the schools participating in COMPASS, more

than 3,000 students participated in before- or afterschool

programs, and more than 660 participated in over 40

different summer school programs. On average, almost 60

percent of students participated in afterschool activities. At

Central Elementary in Allentown, the Clothing Closet and

the Second Harvest Food Bank is open twice a week. Over

800 households were served during the school year. Vision

vans also serve children in the Bangor school district and at

Roosevelt Elementary; 38 children who needed glasses

received them.

Schools also reported increases in positive behavior and a

drop in discipline referrals. Parent participation also showed

an increase over previous years through parent gatherings,

teacher conferences and volunteer opportunities. At Lincoln

Elementary in the Bethlehem Area district, for example, 85

percent of parents said during teacher conferences that they

wanted to learn more about volunteering and 20 parents

attended a two-hour training program.

Each day, community schools demonstrate the ideals of

lifelong learning and continuous improvement. Not only do

they provide programs that encourage students and

adults to achieve and grow, but the leaders of these schools

are always looking for ways to be even more effective.

Mr. Reinhart of the Bangor Area district says the lessons

community schools are learning are applicable “in

almost any school setting in almost any school anywhere.”

“It’s not just about creating stronger schools and student

achievement,” Reinhart said, summing up the thoughts

shared at the event. “It’s about building stronger communi-

ties, and giving people – people of all ages – the opportuni-

ties to find within them the talents, the interest that will

help make all of their lives better and all of our communities

stronger.”

Making it All Come Together

Pennsylvania Community Schools: Catch the Vision 11

This brief was funded by the Pennsylvania Department of

Education and prepared by the Institute for Educational

Leadership under contract with the Center for Schools and

Communities. Linda Jacobson was the primary writer with

assistance from Martin Blank.

Center for Schools and CommunitiesThe Center for Schools and Communities focuses on

prevention and intervention initiatives operated by schools,

organizations and agencies serving children, youth and

families. For more information, please visit

www.center-school.org.

Coalition for Community SchoolsThe Coalition for Community Schools is an alliance of

national, state and local organizations in education K-16,

youth development, community planning and development,

family support, health and human services, government and

philanthropy as well as national, state and local community

school networks. The Coalition advocates for community

schools as the vehicle for strengthening schools, families

and communities so that together they can improve student

learning.

Community Partners for Student Success

The United Way launched Community Partners for Student

Success (COMPASS) as an ambitious two-county collabora-

tive with a vision to identify, strengthen and promote

community-connected schools so that all Lehigh Valley

students succeed and graduate from high school ready to

lead meaningful and productive lives. For more information,

please visit www.unitedwayglv.org/COMPASS.php

Pennsylvania Department of EducationThe mission of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is

to lead and serve the educational community to enable

each individual to grow into an inspired, productive, fulfilled

lifelong learner. For more information, please visit

www.education.state.pa.us.

United Way of Greater Lehigh ValleyThe United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley funds 89

programs at 54 human service agencies throughout the

Lehigh Valley, as well as four community building partner-

ships. In addition, the organization is pursuing a strategic

direction that proactively addresses key community goals

designed to improve the regional community’s quality of

life. For more information, please visit www.unitedwayglv.org.

Please visit www.communityschools.org for more information

on community schools in the Lehigh Valley. Click on About

Community Schools, choose Local Initiatives and scroll

down to Lehigh Valley, PA. The following PowerPoint presen-

tations are among the additional resources listed.

Community Schools: An Important Strategy to Support

Student Success, Marty Blank, Coalition for Community

Schools

Author/Acknowledgements

2010NationalForum

Nuts & Bolts of Community Schools Marci Ronald, United

Way of Lehigh Valley

For more information on Title I and Community Schools Go

to: www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/guidance/titlei-

reform.pdf

Community Schools National ForumBuilding Innovative Partnerships for Student Success: The Key to America’s Future

April 7-9, 2010 • Philadelphia, PA

Register at www.communityschools.org